Monochrome Law
by Fasanation Rose
Summary: A just rookie and a cynical veteran: The two unlikeliest partners in the Kanavan police force. Clashes of opinion are quickly common between the two. When a backstabbing murder wave strikes Kanavan, their patience for each other is put to the test. However, as the investigation continues, each realizes there is more to the other than initially meets the eye. AU
1. Chapter 1

Weeeeeeeeeell, I'm sorry to announce I'll be taking a break from writing humor stories. It really can't be helped. This is mostly because I've run out of ideas. I do not have an urn which magically sprays out an infinite stream of ideas for me to use. As nice as that would be, I don't have one. I'll return to the whimsical fanfictions once I am able to get enough furniture to throw at Dio and Sieghart- I mean, enough ideas to complete a chapter/one-shot. I'm really, really sorry about this…

…Plus I kind of wanted to write something serious, to prove I'm not a 100% derp. I'm only 82.17%! I think.

Now, on to the story! Enjoy!

* * *

The rain wouldn't stop tonight. Sometimes, when it rains this hard, you don't think it will ever stop. The dreary clouds, along with the dark of concrete, blanketed the world in grey. Thunder clashed, and the sky was alit briefly. Through this gloomy setting, a taxi trudged slowly through the rain.

The car slowly halted to a stop in front of the police station. The passenger door flew open, and a girl in a midnight-black trench coat emerged. Light green hair was tied into a braid, and her blue eyes shone despite the clouded area. She paid the driver his fare, and the car drove off. Turning towards the dark building, she sighed. She was feeling the nostalgia of her childhood returning to her, how she always wanted to be a cop, how she always wanted to save a city in despair.

But, what was a childhood dream is now a reality.

The female climbed the stairs, and entered the building. A whitewashed-purple haired male sat at the receptionist's desk, his dark, red eyes staring down the newcomer.

After a moment of silence, she spoke, "E-Excuse me, sir, I-I'm the new recruit."

The man's eyes drifted up and down her figure. "So you're the new one," He spoke as if he was taunting her. Eye contact was made, and the tone of voice shifted to annoyance. "Well, what do you want?"

She gulped. "I-I need the registration form." The man got up and handed her a clipboard and a pen. The clipboard contained a sheet of paper with a few blanks to be filled out. In a few minutes, the form was filled, and returned to the youth at the counter. He gazed over the paperwork.

"Lime, huh." He turned towards her. "Welcome to your greatest nightmare. My name's Asin. Figure you might as well know that since I'll be seeing your face often. Go see the chief to get the rules and what-not. I don't take care of those things." He gestured with the pen towards a hallway. "Go down that hallway, last door you see." As Lime followed his directions, she could hear Asin mutter something about somebody having mercy on her.

/-\

She knocked thrice before entering. The indigo-haired one finished sorting the paperwork on his desk, before turning to the newcomer. "Ah, you must be Lime. I heard about you." He rose and offered his hand to shake hers. She accepted. "My name is Ronan Erudon. I'm the head of police here." He smiled. "How are you today?"

"I'm alright."

"That's good to hear. Now…" Ronan picked up a book off the shelf and handed it to Lime. "…Here's the rulebook. I'll get somebody to get your oriented. If you didn't notice earlier, there's a bench outside my office. Wait there until I get your forms all sorted out."

The green-haired one exited the room, sitting on the bench outside. A silver-haired one stopped to admire the new face. "Are you the new one?" She asked. Though the silver one didn't recognize Lime, Lime recognized her: Rin Sillhoute, legendary detective, and Lime's idol.

"Y-Yes, I am!" Lime nodded rapidly.

"Well, nice to meet you, I'm Rin." The older woman offered her hand. The moment was cut short by the office door opening.

Ronan sighed. "Well, I've got good news and bad news. Good news, I've got somebody to teach you the ropes around here. The bad news… well, you'll figure that out yourself."

"Ronan! Why would you get **him** to help her? I could use another partner…"

"Rin, as true as that may be, you have Asin. He doesn't have a partner yet."

"B-But-"

"No buts." Ronan turned towards Lime. "Now, let's meet your partner, shall we?"

/-\

The door was littered with bullet holes. Three knocks from the police chief, and a voice, clearly male, shouted in response, "What do you want?!"

Ronan opened the door, revealing a room piled high with various book and magazines, records and machines. Movie posters and black and white pictures lined the walls. It was neat, but cluttered. In the center of the room was a desk, behind which sat a golden haired youth, glaring at the intruders into his space.

"Rufus, this is your new partner. Her name is Lime." A glare was shot towards the police chief. "Lime, this is Rufus Wilde. He's one of the best officers we have."

"Why are you giving me a partner? I work alone, you idiot."

Ronan shot a menacing glare at Rufus. "I apologize in advance for his behavior. He's not exactly… the nicest person." As the police chief began to make his exit, he turned and added, "Oh, and Rufus, if she dies, you're fired." With that, the door slammed shut.

A brief silence followed after. To break it, Lime offered her hand to shake. Her hand was rejected by the officer at the desk. He said, "Listen, don't expect to be friends or anything. For the record, I work **alone. **I don't need your bloody help. You're only still here because I value my job."

Lime sighed and sat in a chair in the corner. Her dreams were not starting as planned, but everything had to get better eventually, right?

* * *

So tell me what you think. I've got a rather loose plot for this, so I'm open to a few ideas. But make note, if a character didn't appear here, it's unlikely they will. There are one or two exceptions….

I'll get the next chapter up when I can! Ciao for now!


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Rufus did the next morning was barge into Ronan's office and throw a lime at his head.

At the moment, Ronan was reading the morning paper for the latest news, though, being a police officer, he already knew half of it. He did not like the idea of somebody throwing a lime at his head when he was reading about the latest robot.

"Rufus, did you need something?" The chief folded up his paper and placed it on his desk.

Rufus punched the flower vase by the door off its table. "YOU ASSHOLE!"

Ronan stood up at his desk. "Does this need to happen EVERY time?" The two of them glared deeply into each other's eyes for a long time, and with that, Rufus exited the room, slamming the door. Ronan walked over to the shattered vase on the floor. "Guess I'll need to clean this up…"

/-\

Lime bust open the door. "I'm sorry I'm late!" Asin looked up from the counter, shrugged, and returned to his work. Rin was sitting at the desk as well, and gestured her hand towards Rufus's office.

"Rufus should have your assignment today. Do you need me to show you to his office?" Lime shook her head, and continued on her way. As she approached Rufus's office, the sound of smashing glass could be heard. The female officer knocked on the door. No response. After a second knock, the smashing noises stopped almost immediately.

"I-I'll be right there!" His voice shouted through the door. After a few more smashing sounds, along with a brief moment of silence, the door opened to a golden-haired officer glaring daggers at the rookie. "What do you want?" He hissed at her.

She swallowed. "O-Our assignment…" Her voice trailed off.

"Oh right. That. Yeah, come in." Rufus retreated back to his desk, pulled out a few papers from a drawer, and thrusted the papers into her arms. "Here."

Lime managed to find a chair, and sat to read her papers. They were mostly about duties and rules and how to deal with cases, but one set of papers intrigued her. The entire section was about a local crime wave, starting just six months ago. People were stolen from, then stabbed in the back in the exact same fashion. It had baffled the authorities for months. The mystery person was still roaming, identity unknown. He was aptly nicknamed "The backstabber."

A small knock brought the female officer away from her thoughts. The door promptly opened to reveal Ronan, slightly panicked, "It's another one. Get to work, and bring Lime with you. She could use the experience."

/-\

When they arrived at the scene, everything had already been taped off. Rin was already there, taking various pictures. When she noticed them, she waved for them to come over to her location. "Ah, you're both here!" She quickly rushed over. "It's another victim: Same stab wounds."

The detective led them both into the house. Rin proceeded to take more photographs, before gesturing to the partnership, "Do what you like, just don't alter the scene. I still need a few photos and samples."

Rufus immediately crouched down to the corpse, examining the wounds carefully. "What was stolen?" He asked the other cops. They all shrugged. He hissed under his breath, "Worthless imbeciles."

"U-Um, Rufus." He turned to the speaker. Deep, blue eyes met his red ones. "What's going on exactly…?"

"I'm conducting an investigation! What does it look like?"

The girl gulped. "I just didn't-"

"What, did I get another stupid partner who can't do a stupid investigation to save her stupid life?" Rufus spat at her feet. "Pathetic…"

Lime sat down opposite the corpse from him. "Well, maybe if you teach me, I could help." He glared at her fiercely, before mumbling some inaudible phrase under his breath that sounded very close to an insult.

"Look, you can just quit, if you don't have the talent."

Lime shot herself up and stared him down. "I'm not going to quit! I came to help people!"

"Help elsewhere! You're not needed here!"

Those words rang in her ears and stabbed her heart. She didn't know where else to help but here. Crime littered the city, tumbling around like discarded plastic bags. Cleanup was needed, but why wasn't she allowed to restore and polish the glory of Kanavan? Why wasn't she allowed to help? Didn't people like help?

The whole thought was just strange to her.

She started to speak against the insult, but no words came. She wanted to kick the bastard speaking against her ideals, but her feet didn't dare to move. She needed to think. She needed to take in all that was going on.

Lime exited the building and sat on the curb in front of the house. Rin, noting her hunched, gloomy posture, decided to check on the recruit.

She kneeled beside the depressed Lime. "What's wrong?"

Lime replied with a sigh. "I- I don't- It's nothing."

"Rufus is being hard on you, isn't he?" The new officer had a sudden shock on her face, quickly relaxing back to her gloom, nodding slowly. Rin sat down beside her. "Well, he was that way to me, too."

Lime turned to her converser. "You were his partner once?"

Rin smiled and nodded. "Yes, I was. He doesn't mean harm though. He's just tough on people because he's lonely."

Lime was definitely confused. "Lonely?"

"That's a lie." Rufus had appeared behind to two women with a scowling look on his face. "Don't spread rumors."

"R-Rufus!" Lime was shocked.

"Yeah, it's me. Problem?"

"No, none at all!"

Rufus turned to the detective, and asked, "Rin, are you done yet?"

"I'm done. Let's head back." Rin rose from the curb. "We don't want to keep Ronan waiting on his report!"

/-\

"So, there's still nothing." Ronan stared down at the results of the fruitless investigation that took place earlier. He leaned back in his chair, eyeing the trio in his office. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Nothing, sir." The detective looked shamefully at her feet.

"Then you are dismissed." Before they could leave, the chief added one more comment: "Rufus, I'd like to have a word with you."

After the others left, Rufus slammed his hands down on Ronan's desk. "What the hell do you want?!"

"Rufus, I'm aware of your frustration, but take it easy on Lime."

Rufus's hand swiped across the desk, sending papers flying and knocking down a picture of Ronan and his girlfriend. "Why me! You know I work alone!"

The chief sighed. "With the recent events, orientation with anyone else will get her undoubtedly killed. We don't need to lose any more officers. We've lost enough as it is…"

"They were all a bunch or **WORTHLESS **idiots who did **NOTHING **for anybody but their own **SELFISH **joy in arresting those **JUST AS BAD AND CORRUPT AS THEMSELVES **to make themselves feel** LIKE MORE RIGHTIOUS CRIMINALS!**"

"Ru-"

"**THEY'RE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF WORTHLESS OUTLAWS!**"

"Rufus, **STOP YELLING!**" It was rare for Ronan to raise his voice to that volume. Rufus knew when the chief raised his voice like that, it wasn't good. "Now, if I find that you and your cynical attitude force Lime to quit, you're dead to me." The words were spoken slowly, and articulated fiercely. "Am I clear?"

"…Yes."

/-\

The moment she entered Rufus's office, Lime found her chair and sat down. Her thoughts were still a mess. Not before long, a few knocks brought Lime's attention to the door. The door opened to a worried Rin. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before." She tried to force out a smile.

Rin sighed. "You don't have to lie to me." Lime turned her head away shamefully. "Look, Rufus was once my partner as well." Lime gazed up to the detective, almost in a daze. "I know at first he can be a bit hard to put up with, but he'll loosen up over time."

Lime whimpered, "T-Thank you."

"No problem!" Replied Rin with a smile. "Just make note…" She turned to make sure no one was listening. "… He likes shooting things." Lime gulped, worried she might be Rufus's next target. The detective noticed Lime's reaction. "He won't shoot his partner! I swear!"

It was right about then Rufus entered his office. He eyed both girls carefully, before saying, "I'm calling it a day." He grabbed his things and quickly left. Rin sighed. "If only he'd loosen up…"

/-\

Rufus opened to door to his car and sat in the driver's seat, put in and turned the key, and set off. The officer's mind was more on his predicament than his driving. His job stood at risk, all due to some **stupid **idea set up by Ronan to make him cooperate better. Like he really needs any of that. He had completed all his jobs on his own, albeit a bit violently. Why would he need any assistance?

Besides, he couldn't tell them the truth. It was a singular event in the past, but its echoes haunted into the future. Letting these echoes hit the ears of his comrades would almost guarantee their instant distrust of him. They could never know. Unfortunately for Rufus, the past seems to have a nasty was of wriggling itself into the future…

* * *

Thank you for all the reviews! I feel so inspired now! I'll get the 3rd chapter up as soon as I can!


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own GC. Thank you.

* * *

It had been a week since Rufus last entered Ronan's office. During that time, two murders were committed by the Backstabber, and Rufus was very close to losing it. Never once during that week had he and his partner been able to get on the right terms with each other. Though initially she never rose her voice against Rufus, by the end of the week Lime was quick to anger with him, screaming any and all insults that came to her mind. Many times, other officers had to interfere with their multitude of verbal fights. It was an almost unnerving experience.

On a beautiful Friday morning, Rufus barged into the chief's office with an armful of limes, several which had fallen from his hands as he entered. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME?! **I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" **He tossed the limes one by one at Ronan's head. Said chief was currently reading a novel.

"Would you like the day off?" He monotonously responded to the barrage of limes.

Rufus was in total shock. "What?"

"I said, 'would you like the day off?' You could use it." Ronan put his bookmark in his book, and placed it on his desk. "I can work with Lime today."

"Are you serious?" The officer was overjoyed. A day of from that (in his mind) annoying partner of his!

The chief sighed. "I am dead serious. None of us can take your screaming anymore. Now, get out." And with that, he pointed towards the door. Rufus did exactly that. Though he was going to enjoy his day off, he did feel a little remorseful for having irritated the chief like that. Ronan was his friend, even if they did have their little… arguments.

Ronan sighed and placed a bookmark in his book as he closed it. He only wished Rufus would be more cooperative. He wasn't a bad person- okay, maybe he was kind of a jerk- but Ronan saw good in him. The reason why he was even in the force was due to Ronan's suggestion to the previous chief.

Well, enough of those thoughts, Lime would need his help for the day.

He was almost grateful Rufus took the day off. The chief rose from his desk, and went towards the door, when he slipped on a lime Rufus had dropped. It looked like those would need to be picked up…

/-\

Lime arrived just barely on time that morning. "Good morning!" She called to the waiting Asin at the front desk.

Said cop looked up from his laptop, and responded, "Good morning Lime." He returned to doing… whatever he was doing on his computer.

Rin was once again sitting next to Asin. She informed "Lime, Rufus has the day off." Lime was grateful, but tried not to show it. "You'll be working with Ronan today." Asin briefly paused what he was doing upon hearing the news, then returned to his work, typing much faster than before.

Lime made her way to Ronan's office. She was incredibly grateful Rufus was away for the day. Any more of that jerk-like behavior and she would blow. Now she could finally do what she wanted without any interference: Bring criminals to justice!

The smell of limes could be smelt right outside his office. Weird. She didn't recall there being limes in Ronan's office. Lime knocked once before the door swung open. "Ah, you're on time today…" For the past week, Lime had been late every single day. This was definitely a shock. "…I, erm, wasn't expecting this… Could you give me a moment?" Lime nodded, and the door shut in her face.

A moment later, he reemerged from his office, adjusting his hat. "There's been another murder. We'll need to go investigate."

/-\

The first unusual thing about this case was that the body was found in a warehouse, with the same stab wounds, lying face down. The second unusual thing was that the person was strip naked. All the possessions had been burned, the ashes and half-burnt cloth pieces flittering around the closed space.

Ronan spoke, breaking the almost morbid silence, "It appears this man had something to hide." He lightly kicked over the head, revealing a face showing both shock and agony. The chief recognized the face. "This is… an escaped convict." There was the third unusual thing: The target himself. Said target had escaped from jail just days before. He was arrested for arson, murder, and robbery, and was suspected to have connections to many in the criminal underworld.

A piece of paper flew itself into Lime's face. She removed the paper, which was charred black, and tried to make out its content. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a map of sorts. It was, unfortunately, illegible due to the massive burning of the sheet. An idea hit the officer. "Um, Ronan, shouldn't we check the house of this person? Maybe there's still something there…" It was then that Lime noticed the absence of the chief. "Ronan…?"

Sound rebounded across the walls, partially distorted, but still recognizable. Panic sets in. The sound is all too familiar, and brings the sudden realization about what may have happened to the chief.

The sound of three gunshots.

/-\

Rufus barged in the front door of the police station, holding his laptop in his hand. He was dressed in a white tee-shirt, jeans, and a brown leather jacket. "**ASIN, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!**"

The officer looked up from his desk. "Oh, did something happen?"

"**YOU SENT ME A VIRUS! REMOVE IT IMMIDIATLY!**"

Asin let out a small chuckle. "Me, corrupt your all-purpose computer? How dare you accuse me of such a low thing." The officer mocked with a sarcastic tone. "I would _never _do something like that."

Rufus stomped over to the desk, slamming his hands down on the counter. "**YOU LITTLE SHIT!**_" _Asin merely chuckled.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The detective interrupted. "Rufus, I thought you had the day off! Go enjoy that!"

The aforementioned officer growled, "I can't exactly when this **asshole **decides to corrupt my computer."

Rin sighed. "Can't you work this out like sane men?" Rufus growled once more.

Sudden static. The walky-talky on the table spurred to life. "_Man down…" _Brief moments of silence, combined with shock on Rufus's face. _"Man down…" _The voice was undeniably Ronan, mostly likely injured, or worse, dying._ "We need help…"_

One second… two seconds… three seconds…

Not another sound was heard.

Rufus snatched the nearest gun he could find, and burst out the door. He knew Ronan would act stupid sometimes during assignments, but never like this…

Rin and Asin both sprang into action as well. They charged after Rufus, hoping they would get to their comrades in need before it was too late.

/-\

Lime kicked down the door. "F-Freeze!" A gunshot flew past her, cutting off a lock of hair. The officer instantly dove behind a crate.

Another shot flew above her head.

Sweat began to trickle down her brow. Training didn't prepare her for this. Training didn't prepare her for any of this, did it? It did! Now she remembered. All she had to do was remain calm… remain calm…

Another shot.

NO! She couldn't be calm. There was no backup, no help coming. Ronan was injured, and she didn't know how fatal the wounds were. She was scared. She was deathly scared…

Another shot.

She couldn't be scared! She had said it herself: Ronan was hurt. She needed to subjugate the enemy, and then tend to Ronan's wounds…

Another shot.

Lime stood and prepared to fire.

_*Click. Click*_

It then occurred to her that she forgot to load her own gun. Her failed attempt to retaliate merely gave away her location. The figure fired back, the shot leaving a small cut on her face. She returned to her hiding location behind the crate.

It was then she noticed Ronan, badly wounded across the building, clearly unconscious. Getting to him meant the difference between life and death. Who's life and who's death was debatable. The wheel of fortune is spinning.

Fate left to chance, Lime darted for the injured chief.

Many bullets whizzed over her head. A few came unnervingly near her figure, leaving small cuts here and there. Pipes and wood splinters flew all around, hiding parts of her vision. The world seemed to slow.

She managed to get to Ronan's side, whom was thankfully behind some crates. The crates proved a useful barricade while she inspected the wounds. There was a bullet wound on the right shoulder, and on his left thigh. The third shot must have missed.

Lime pulled some napkins out of her pocket and started applying pressure to the shoulder wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Blood quickly seeped through the napkin, dying it a bright red. After a moment, she removed it. The action cleared most the blood.

"_Hey, if anybody can hear me, pick up the __**FUCKING**__ walky talky and-"_

The officer instantly responded. "This is Lime."

The voice was clearly that of Rufus's. _"__**OH MY FUCKING- WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?! DO YOU KNOW HOW PISSED I AM?! YOU LITTLE SHI-**__" _

A brief, inaudible argument was heard, and then the voice changed. _"Hello? Are you still there?" _Rin was now speaking.

"Yeah…"

"_What's your location?"_

"That abandoned warehouse on to corner of Queen's street and…"

It was then she noticed the shooting had stopped.

"…Montague boulevard…"

She laid her walky talky down beside Ronan, ignoring Rin's sudden worry over Lime's sudden silence. Lime cautiously peeked over the crates, searching for the assailant. He was missing from his previous location, suspended on a platform hanging from the ceiling. She looked around carefully, breathing heavily.

There was no figure to be seen. Somehow, he or she had vanished. Gone. She tried to recall his appearance. Light grey hair, and a black shirt. That seemed about right.

A sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. When she turned, there was nobody. She began to search more frantically. Various machines, conveyer belts, and crates. But no living being was seen. Lime began to panic.

Then she saw him.

They met eyes.

He raised the gun.

"FREEZE!" Rufus charged into the room, firing rapidly at the assaulter, standing on a pile of crates. The figure leaped down, and darted away. Rufus gave chase. "GET BACK HERE!" Rin entered, poised for action, when she saw Lime. She rushed over to the officer. Asin followed the detective, not knowing what else to do.

"Are you alright…?" Lime looked down at her feet, like a child in trouble being scolded by their parents. "…Oh…" Rin looked around Lime to find Ronan, still unconscious on the floor. "Ronan!" Rin turned her attention towards the injured officer on the ground. She found some bandages and began to treat his wounds.

Asin spoke. "Hey, um, Lime, should I get you a blanket?" The aforementioned officer looked at him, dazed. "You look like you're in shock." Lime nodded. "Come with me." He gestured to Lime, and she followed. The left the building in silence.

Rufus was swearing as he approached Rin. The figure had escaped, and this displeased him greatly. He stood, leaning above Rin and Ronan. "Idiot." He muttered under his breath.

Rin didn't respond. Rufus glanced over at the door in which they entered. "Where's foxy boy?"

"Doing what you should be doing."

"And that is?"

"Taking care of Lime." Silence followed.

Rufus decided to break it. "It's not like-"

"Not a word of complaint." Rufus shut up. There was nothing left to say.

/-\

Ronan was rushed immediately to a hospital. Shortly after delivering him there, the remaining officers returned to their headquarters.

It was late. Asin began working his night shift, and Rufus vanished into his office, locking the door and turning off all lights within. Rin decided she would stay with Asin, keeping him company in the silent hours of the night.

It was then Lime, decided it would be the best time to tell her peers her decision. She cleared her throat. "U-Um… Can I… Uh… can I ask you guys something?"

Rin looked at her and smiled. "Absolutely. What is it?"

Lime gulped. "You've been in the force awhile… and I was wondering, do you have to be strong to work here?"

Rin paused to think it over. "I guess that depends on how you define 'Strong'. Why do you ask?"

"W-Well, I think that… I'm not strong at all."

The detective frowned. "You are!"

"B-But I screw up! I come in late! I'm losing all my paperwork! And moreover, today I forgot to load my gun!" Rin didn't know what to say. "Point is… I'm quitting the force. I can enact justice on criminals in other ways."

Rin paused, before responding in a quiet voice. "We can't file the papers until Ronan gets back."

"…I know."

"Can you wait until then?" Lime nodded.

/-\

Rufus woke up on the floor. He moaned groggily and looked at his watch. It was half past midnight. He didn't quite remember falling asleep. The officer lifted himself off the floor, and searched for the light switch. He instead found the door handle, and left his office.

When he walked past the front desk, he found Asin, sleeping. He gave a light nudge, and the officer woke. "我没有在睡觉!" (Translation: "I wasn't sleeping!") He said, startled. "Oh, it's just you."

"Don't sleep on the job."

"Whatever." He added under his breath. "Jerk."

"I heard that."

Asin ignored this comment and said, "You know Lime's quitting, right?"

Words could not describe Rufus's shock. However, he did manage to force out a weak "Crap."

Asin eyed him curiously. "And I suppose of Lime quits, you get fired, right?" Rufus nodded, expression still displaying huge shock. "Look, you got 'til Ronan gets back. Don't worry about it."

"T-That's right." Rufus said with a creepy face and a distorted chuckle. "That's right…"

Asin began to worry a little bit for the sanity of the one known as Rufus Wilde. This job was his life. One could only hope he could convince Lime to stay, for better or for worse…

* * *

Yay! An update!

This took a little longer than I expected, probably because I wasn't in a good mood most of the time while writing this. But I got it done!

Because there's no freaking way everybody in GC speaks English/Korean/Tagalog/Whatever language your server uses, I believe that Asin (and Jin) are bilingual in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Due to this, Asin may say phrases or sentences in Chinese every once in a while. I only do this because I actually know Chinese. I refuse to rely on google crapslate…

With the holidays coming up, my writing time shall go up, and therefore I can write chapters faster. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Blood was splattered everywhere. They were on his clothes, the floor, the walls, the ceiling. He clutched his bleeding stomach. It hurt. It hurt so much.

The figure smiled, a sly, villainous smile. She stared down at the him, clutching the knife in her hand. "Know your place, rat. You are nothing before me." The boy lunged, tackling the lady.

More blood. The boy fell to the ground. The lady approached, raising her knife.

The boy pushed himself up against the wall, forcing himself as far away from the woman as he could. He looked for an exit. There were none. The whole room began to shake. "No…" The lone light bulb swung back and forth. "No… no…" The quake increased in magnitude. The light flickered. "No… No... NO!" She raised the knife. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"NO!" Rufus bolted up from his bed, covered in sweat. He was breathing heavily, and his heart felt like it was going to explode in his chest. He stared around, almost confused by the sudden change in his surroundings. Yet another nightmare. He let his exhausted body fall back to the bed. How much longer did he have to endure of these cursed dreams?

He glanced at the clock. 2:30 A.M. This was the second time this _night._

He drowsily got out of his bed, stumbling towards the window. The moon was full. It calmed his mind. He stood there for a while, lost in his own thoughts. All that had happened recently took a great toll on him: His job at risk, his boss's fatal wounds, and the sudden reoccurrence of his nightmares.

For some reason, he could never get on the right terms with Lime. The shock that she actually wanted to quit had a profound effect on him. Besides, it was his lack of training her that got the chief injured on the last assignment. He had tried, all the past week, to start helping her with investigations and gun use and just other general basics of police duties. Somehow, everything he said or did somehow went awry. Where was Ronan when you needed him?

Of course, Ronan had been in the hospital since that one fatal mission, still in a coma. The final examination revealed several cuts, bruises, and three bullet wounds. The third one Lime had missed on her initial examination, and had landed in the chief's hip. Though he refused to admit it to most, Ronan was one of his best friends. The chief had helped him out of many jams, one which almost cost both of them their lives. Now his life lay in the hands of fate.

Rufus jolted himself awake. It occurred to him he was falling asleep standing up. Somehow, this madness needed to stop. He yawned, and decided to get himself a cup of coffee. He would pull yet another all-nighter and sleep a full night tomorrow…

/-\

Rufus's strange behavior was beginning to scare Lime.

Part of it was the fact that he had been strangely nicer to Lime over the past few days. His creepily happy smile and awkward attempts to befriend the female officer had quickly scared her. Somewhere in her mind, she questioned to sudden change in behavior.

When she saw Rufus dosing off on his office desk that morning, she thought she had her answer.

Lime gently nudged the sleeping officer, trying to wake him for duty that day. He did not awake, or react, for that matter.

She eventually decided to leave him be, making her way out the door, to enjoy the company of the other officers. With Ronan's absence, Rin had taken over the job of managing to force. Due to this, many officers were busy on duty. Only Asin was available at the moment.

"Morning, Asin."

The aforementioned officer looked up from his desk and responded. "Good morning." Asin handed a set of papers to Lime. "Another murder, but this one's a little different."

"Hey, I know this sounds a bit odd, but can Rufus not come this time?"

Asin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is something wrong with Rufus?"

Lime nodded. "He's sleep deprived."

"How can you tell?

"He's currently napping on his desk. I think he needs another day off."

Asin smirked. "That is… interesting. Well, if that's the case, good luck on today's assignment! I'll go… buy a cup of coffee for Rufus. He'll catch up with you later."

Lime glanced curiously at the officer as he walked towards the door. Something about the way he said things made Lime very suspicious of what he was doing. She grabbed his shoulder before he left. He tugged his arm, but Lime did not let go. Her grip was strong. "Asin… can I ask you something?"

"U-Uh, sure." He replied, still trying to tug himself away.

"Will you be my partner for the day?"

It was then Asin realized the position he'd put himself into. With Rufus sleeping, Lime would need a new partner. Since Rin was busy… that left only him. This was unless he could get another officer to take his place; however he couldn't, as _he _was the one who usually gave out assignments. He recalled giving out a lot of them today. If that wasn't obvious enough, the police station was nearly empty. "I need to, uh, go get that, um, coffee now… YEAH, Rufus needs, er, coffee!" He nervously rubbed the back of his head.

The other officer's grip did not cease. "Please…?"

"Yea- No. Now let go of my arm."

Lime was not amused, therefore she did not let go. "I'll do something to make it up to you. Anything. Just please help me out today?"

Asin stopped struggling. "You'll do _anything, _right?"

Lime tilted her head a little bit. "Erm, yeah." Lime let go of his arm.

The male officer grabbed a suitcase from under the front desk. Asin smirked. "Then the deal is settled."

/-\

The scene was a mess. Blood lay all over the walls and floor. In the middle of the room, a body lay face down, knife sticking out of his back, blood spewed all over him. The amount of gore almost made Lime puke.

Asin surveyed the room. "Whoever was here before us made one bloody mess." The officer pulled out a suitcase, placed it on the ground, and opened it. Contained inside was a mini-computer, some clear plastic bags, a brush of some sort, several vials of different substances, a magnifying glass, and a small surgical knife. Lime curiously gazed at the contents of the case.

She decided to ask, "Asin, why do you have all of that… stuff?"

He looked over at the peering officer. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Lime gulped, but Asin let out a small laugh. "I'm kidding about the killing part." Lime sighed. "Mostly. I really can't tell you though."

Lime nodded slightly. "O-Okay…"

The male officer took out a large plastic bag and placed the knife inside. "This is… strange."

"Huh?" Lime turned her attention away from the painting on the wall to the speaking officer. "What is?"

Asin placed the bag inside his case. "The knife is never found at the scene of the crime. Ever. This killer doesn't do that." He closed the case and stood up. "This means three things."

"And those three things are?"

"Well, confidence is getting him lazy. He could be getting reckless, thinking it's all a game to him."

Lime nodded. "That makes sense."

"Number two: This is the work of a second murderer. Clearly, this one is breaking the trend, and there's a good chance it's not the same person."

"Okay, and three?"

"Well, this sounds a little far-fetched right now, but," Asin gestured towards the body. "I think whoever did this is trying to frame somebody."

/-\

Yet another nightmare.

Rufus woke up dazed and confused. He drowsily looked around his surroundings to ensure he was safe.

He was currently in his office, and was just earlier sleeping on his desk. The lights were dim, the shades drawn, and the door was shut. He didn't remember falling asleep.

Rufus sluggishly stood up and stretched. His neck hurt a little from the position he was in during his rest. He put his hand in his pocket and dug out his phone. The time was 12 noon. He had been sleeping for three hours.

He stumbled towards the door, somehow managing to find it in the almost pitch-black room. He made his way towards the front of the station.

It was then he noticed Lime's disappearance.

The officer drowsily made his way over to Rin's office. He somewhat crashed through the door, slightly slurring the words together as he spoke. "Where is she?"

"Gone, with Asin, on a task." Rin looked up from her desk filled with papers. "You were asleep."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry for that."

Rin sighed. "It's alright. Just… go get yourself some coffee. You still look half asleep. You can help me with the paperwork when you get back."

"Thanks." Rufus stumbled out the door.

/-\

"Asin…"

"Yes?"

"…Why are we at a Chinese restaurant?" Lime asked curiously. "There's no real reason for us to be here."

Asin finished slurping his noodles before replying. "We're on break. Are you going to finish that?" He said, pointing at Lime's half-finished plate of mapo tofu.

"I think I'll just take it home…"

"Suit yourself." He slurped some more noodles.

The two of them had come to the restaurant after investigating many other cases, including, but not limited to, a few thefts, one involving a cat in a tree, graffiti, and property destruction.

Lime stared out the window. So many things had crossed her mind lately. First was her partner's strange behavior. Although she blamed that on sleep deprival, something told her that maybe that wasn't all true. Perhaps there was something he wasn't telling her.

Second, there was the murderer. Lime wondered what his motive could be. Attention? Maybe he was a hitman? Or he was related or connected to-

"THIEF! SOMEBODY STOP HIM!"

Lime came to her senses, watching across the street as a human dashed out of the bank across the street. A man followed behind, shouting swear words before being shot by the first man. Lime bolted from her seat, dashing out the door and towards the being. "Where are you going?" Asin called to her. "Lime?" He then noticed the scene playing out.

The figure smashed the window on the nearest car, sticking his hand inside to open the door. He entered, and proceeded to highjack the car.

Lime bolted across the street, aiming her gun. "STOP!" She shouted. The car sped off, tires screeching on the street. She fired a few gunshots, chasing after him.

Asin called to her, "**LOOK OUT!**"

A loud blaring noise was heard behind her.

She turned. Her eyes widened.

Only then did she see the truck.

/-\

Rufus liked his usual coffee spot for various reasons.

First was that it was next to a bank. This way, he could monitor theft while sipping his beverage. At any given point in time, he needed to be ready. Second was the actual quality of the coffee itself. It was quite rich, and he very much enjoyed it.

He took his usual window seat when he sat down, gazing out and sipping his coffee. The scene was calm, peaceful, and tranquil. The sky was filled with sun and light. He almost spat it when he saw the thief bolt out of the bank.

Rufus charged out the door, knocking over his table, spilling his coffee, and angering another customer. He quickly apologized, somewhat crashing through the door as he left.

It was then he saw Lime.

She was going to die.

The truck spun out of control, into another building, flames lighting sky high almost instantly. Screams and panic filled the area. Dust clouded vision and clogged smell, adding to the hysteria. Asin dashed across the street, pulling off the door of the truck, and helping the driver out. He then turned back towards the street.

"Lime!?" He called into the black mist. "Are you okay!? Answer me!" The dust slowly cleared. Asin was relieved to see Lime unharmed, however…

…Rufus was on his hands and knees, just above her. At the very last minute, the male officer had leaped, forcing Lime out of the way of the incoming automobile.

Rufus realized his sudden predicament, and quickly stood up, dusted himself up, and turned his attention to his partner, still lying on the ground. She was shaking madly, murmuring gibberish under her breath.

"Are you okay?" She looked in fear at her partner, before shaking her head.

Asin approached the two officers in the middle of the street. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was getting my coffee. What are you two doing here?" Rufus eyed him evilly. "Clearly, you can't be trusted." He picked up Lime, bridal style, and carried her to the sidewalk, with Asin trailing behind.

"You're paying for my lunch." Asin said as he dangled Rufus's wallet in front of him.

"Give that back!" He shouted after the fleeing officer, to no avail. He placed Lime against the wall of the restaurant, and sat down beside her. "Troublesome."

"It was the same person." Lime said, staring off into space.

Rufus turned towards her. "Pardon?"

"It was the same person who tried to kill us. Me and Ronan. I recognized him. He had the exact same white hair and blue eyes" Lime turned towards Rufus. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier."

"It's… okay. I guess." Rufus sighed and stood. At this point, many other officers and numerous paramedics had appeared on the scene, assisting the wounded and those in shock. "Bloody hell…"

"Huh, what is it?"

Rufus scowled. "He stole my bloody car." It was then Asin remerged from the shop, bag of take out in hand. Rufus called to the officer, "Asin, can you give me a ride back?"

"Why?"

"My car was stolen…"

Silence, then Asin nodded, very slowly, realizing suddenly why that black car the thief drove off in looked so similar.

/-\

Rufus drowsily locked the door to his office. It had been a long day, and he was eager to go home. This eagerness was dampened by the fact that he had to walk the entire way.

As he left, he found Lime at the front, staring out the window. He then remembered his apartment was halfway across the city, and it was, currently, pouring rain outside. Rufus moaned.

Lime noticed him, turning around. "Oh, are you walking home?" Rufus nodded. "Well, do you want to borrow my coat?"

The aforementioned officer shook his head. "It's still too long a walk on foot."

Lime frowned. "Well… if you'd like, you can stay the night at my house. I usually take a taxi, so you won't have to walk."

"Why are you doing this for me?" Rufus became immediately suspicious.

"You did kind of… save my life… so it's the least I can do to say thank you."

Rufus thought over it for a few moments. Perhaps this would give him time to convince Lime to stay in the police force. On the flip-side, he didn't feel like trudging in the rain halfway across town. "…Alright."

After about five minutes of waiting in the rain, Lime managed to flag down a taxi, and the two of them got in. Rufus managed to sleep through the whole ride, only to be awoken by the sudden stop of the vehicle arriving at its destination.

When Rufus entered Lime's house, the first thing he noticed was that it was a large and beautiful house. Lime shut the door behind him. "Make yourself comfortable!"

Rufus instantly started looking for a coffee machine.

/-\

After dinner, Rufus was lead up to the guest room on the second floor. He took a long, drawn out shower, trying desperately to stay awake and talk to Lime about his thoughts. But first, he needed to think of how to explain to her. Lying in his bed, in nothing but his towel, he formulated a plan.

Several soft knocks were heard coming from the door."Uh, Rufus, can we talk?"

"Come in." He replied. In came Lime, whom didn't react well to the fact that Rufus was essentially naked.

"R-Rufus! Y-You need to-"

"What's wrong?" The officer was approaching the girl.

"Get a shirt on!" Lime tried to close the door, but was stopped by Rufus's foot.

"Hey, I need to talk to-"

"GAH!" At that moment, Rufus's towel had fallen off. Rufus noticed the blushing face at his door, then realized his… predicament.

"Oh shit!" was all he said before slamming the door shut. Within moments, he found his clothes for the day, got dressed and returned outside. Lime was no longer there. He bolted down the stairs, finding her in the kitchen, making him a coffee. He approached from behind. "I am so sorry about that."

Lime was initially shocked, but when she realized who shocked her, she blushed madly once more. "U-Uh… it's… um… don't do that again!" When she yelled, her cheeks flushed up further.

At this point, Rufus was blushing a little from embarrassment. "I won't…" He scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, were you going to talk to me about something?"

Lime regained her composure. "Rufus… I-I'm quitting my job as a police officer. Too many times, I've been too scared or too hectic in situations to do anything right. I-I'm not cut out for this… I-I-"

Rufus put his finger on her lips to silence her. "No, you are. You just need some help."

"Bu-bu-bu-bu-"

"No buts." His gaze met hers. "I _will _help you, because I know you can do it."

For the first time in their partnership, the two finally saw eye to eye. Rufus moved his hand from her lips and pat her head gently. "Kid, don't stress so much. You're not going to die, at least not under my watch."

"…" What was she supposed to say? The words finally came to her. "…T-Thank you…"

Rufus smiled ever so slightly. "It's nothing."

"Good night, Rufus." Lime turned and made her way towards her room.

"Good night." Rufus briefly noticed a burn scar on the back of her neck as she entered her room. Strange. He had never noticed it before. He wondered how long it had been there. Rufus shrugged it off, turned, and returned to his bed. He was going to sleep well tonight…

/-\

It was midnight.

Lime dug through her drawers and found an old, worn picture. Its content showed father and daughter, smiling happily as they ate ice cream. Lime shed a brief tear as the memory returned to her mind. Breaking the silence of night, the girl whispered under her breath. "Don't worry daddy, you can rest in peace soon."

Somewhere, a murderer awoke.

* * *

Okay… I finally finished this chapter!

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I am sad to say, however, that this story will be going on hiatus for a brief period of time. During this time, I'll be planning out the rest of this fanfic. The first four chapters were essentially song-based, off of Skyfall (by Adele), and another song, that is rather fandom specific. I also plan to return to humor writing. I've got a humor fanfic to finish, and two more comedy one-shots to write as well.

I'm open to any ideas you may have for this story, so suggest anything and everything. You never know, it would be a brilliant idea!


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